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John Swinnerton Phillimore

Biography of John Swinnerton Phillimore

John Phillimore

John Swinnerton Phillimore (1873-1926) was Professor of Greek, 1899 to 1906, and of Humanity from 1906 until 1927.

Born in Cornwall, the son of a Vice-Admiral, Phillimore studied at Christ Church, Oxford. He graduated with first classes in Classical Moderations (1893) and in Literae Humaniores (1895), and was recognised as the most promising classical scholar of his generation. In 1895 he was President of the Oxford Union.

Phillimore remained at Christ Church as a lecturer, student and tutor until 1899, when he was appointed to the Chair of Greek at Glasgow. In 1906, the year he was appointed to the Chair of Humanity, he converted to Roman Catholicism. He was a prolific author who was particularly respected for his notes on classical writers. He also published volumes of his poetry.